Ecolab Inc. $ECL Stake Raised by BankPlus Trust Department

BankPlus Trust Department raised its holdings in shares of Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) by 6,934.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,462 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,427 shares during the quarter. BankPlus Trust Department’s holdings in Ecolab were worth $674,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Ecolab by 164.7% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 3,700 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $867,000 after purchasing an additional 2,302 shares in the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ecolab by 128.5% during the 1st quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 18,069 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,581,000 after buying an additional 10,161 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 15.9% during the 1st quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 1,846 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $469,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ecolab by 103.0% during the 1st quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 228,456 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $57,918,000 after acquiring an additional 115,897 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Ecolab by 40.0% in the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 282,423 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $71,600,000 after acquiring an additional 80,640 shares during the last quarter. 74.91% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Ecolab Stock Up 0.1%

ECL stock opened at $265.86 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a 50-day moving average of $264.45 and a two-hundred day moving average of $268.81. Ecolab Inc. has a 52-week low of $221.62 and a 52-week high of $286.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.33.

Ecolab (NYSE:ECL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The basic materials company reported $2.07 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $2.07. The business had revenue of $4.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.12 billion. Ecolab had a return on equity of 22.55% and a net margin of 12.49%.The firm’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. Ecolab has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.020-2.120 EPS and its FY 2025 guidance at 7.480-7.580 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Ecolab Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

Ecolab Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, December 16th will be paid a $0.73 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 16th. This is a positive change from Ecolab’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ecolab’s dividend payout ratio is 41.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director David Maclennan acquired 750 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 8th. The shares were bought at an average price of $257.60 per share, for a total transaction of $193,200.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 23,035 shares in the company, valued at $5,933,816. This trade represents a 3.37% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Christophe Beck sold 21,714 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.41, for a total transaction of $5,676,256.74. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 72,644 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,989,868.04. The trade was a 23.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ECL has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group dropped their target price on Ecolab from $299.00 to $291.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Evercore ISI upgraded Ecolab from an “in-line” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $265.00 to $300.00 in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Robert W. Baird set a $307.00 price objective on shares of Ecolab in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of Ecolab from $303.00 to $300.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $307.00 price target on shares of Ecolab and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $294.57.

Ecolab Company Profile

Ecolab, Inc is a global provider of water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services. The company develops and supplies cleaning and sanitizing chemicals, dispensing equipment, water-treatment systems, pest elimination services and related technologies designed to help businesses maintain clean, safe and efficient operations. Its offerings span both products and onsite services, often paired with technical support and training.

Ecolab serves a broad range of end markets including hospitality and foodservice, food and beverage processing, healthcare, manufacturing and industrial operations, and energy and utilities.